De Kort back on his bike after operation, still aiming for Classics

Replaced by his team-mate Marcel Kittel in the Tour of Oman due to the fractured collarbone he suffered in the earlier Tour of Qatar, Argos Shimano rider Koen de Kort saw the German sprinter grab the team’s first victory of the year yesterday in Oman.

Originally due to compete there himself, de Kort celebrated the success from the Netherlands and said that he expected the team to break through. “I knew it would come together one of these days. In the Tour Down Under and the Tour of Qatar we saw already that things were getting better, and we knew that when everything fell into place we would be able to take the win.

Naturally, de Kort wants to be part of the team’s success this year and is now in a position to start planning his comeback. Last Friday he had an operation at the Máxima Medical Centre in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, and is now training again.

“The surgery went well. I flew home Thursday night from Qatar and had the operation Friday morning,” he said. “I had to stay a night in the hospital and went home on Saturday to start the recovery process. I had quite a lot of pain the day after the operation, but since Sunday I’ve been doing well. I’ve started doing some indoor training already, so that is a good sign.”

De Kort planned to target the Flemish Classics this year and despite his injury, that goal remains the same. However he’s in a race to get into shape in time and knows he needs to work hard. For now, though, he’ll remain out of competition until his body is fully ready.

“I know it will be tight to be ready on time,” he accepted, “but we will see how it develops. In the ideal scenario, I will be able to do a stage race before the Classics.”